You can't help yourself, but is it right?

You tell Tsu her idea isn't weird at all. You don't tell her that, from now on, none of the weird ideas she comes up with related to you will seem weird at all.

With your hand on Tsu's head, you come to the bitter admission and start doing your work. Now is the time to plant the most important trigger: from now on, Tsu won't question the changes in her behavior or the outcomes that result from your quirk. This isn't a chance you can pass up. Maybe that's because of the way you messed with your own head, or maybe... Maybe you're just afraid that passing up your one chance to do something for yourself with your power would cement your status as the world's saddest punching bag. Besides, it's not like you're planning to go crazy with it, right?

You're not going to do anything embarrassing with it, right?

That's what you tell yourself... So, gathering up your strength, you decide to make the first major change, to tie the first knot in the fabric of this heroic, intelligent, kind, and attractive young woman...

The cutlets are ready. Tsu decided to join you at your small, two-person table for dinner, and even though it's your apartment, she's setting out the dishes. What is this strange world, in which a young woman, a hero, is not only hanging out with you, but fixing you dinner and even sticking around to eat it with you?

But this is normal...

Tsu sits across from you. She got you a soda, but she's only drinking water. You know you ought to be making conversation, but you're so exhausted... Still, it's enough to just watch her holding her silverware in those large gloves, cutting her meat with her dark eyes trained on her plate. She catches you staring, and her eyes go up to yours. "Are you feeling okay? Ribbit?"

Yeah... You tell her it's just a funny feeling. You never thought you'd be eating with a girl like her the night you moved in.

"Mm... It's funny for me too, ribbit." Tsu's eyes travel away as a flush appears on her face. She places her knife on the table and pokes at her food with her fork, while holding her free hand's finger to her lower lip. "This is my first time having a boyfriend too, you know..."

This... isn't normal at all! You dig your fingers tightly into your knees, as though silently punishing yourself for what you did. You've learned two important things through this latest little exercise of yours:

First, you had thought all you had to do was make it so she didn't think the things happening were weird. But, it turns out, you yourself still thought they were plenty weird! Tsu had gone from a new acquaintance to calling herself your girlfriend, just like that. Earlier, as a test, you had tried cautiously asking her certain questions to see how far your power had gone: Where had the two of you met? How long had you been dating? What did she like best about you? Amazingly, the answers were... entirely the truth. She first met you at your apartment. You two had been dating... about thirty minutes. The thing she liked most about you was how you helped her out, and she barely knew anything else about you. Ribbit. Then you asked some dating questions:

Does she have anyone she likes? "You mean besides you? Ribbit."

Does she want to go to a movie this weekend? "If hero work doesn't come up, it's a date. Ribbit."

Is she going to tell her friends about you? "Would that be a problem? Ribbit."

The weirdest part of it all was how, aside from the occasional red on her face, Tsu's face hardly looked any different. She just... didn't have a very expressive face. Whether or not you considered that a charm point, it made it pretty damn weird when you were feeling out what kind of relationship your quirk had given you two.

The other thing you figured out was that making this kind of major, vague behavioral change was seriously exhausting. As a kid, you had given other kids a bunch of stupid triggers like "when this happens, you'll do this," or commands like "you'll do this now." Those were so easy you did them one after another, but making the two changes you had since Tsu entered your apartment to fix you dinner had completely wiped you out. Why wasn't it that hard when you were changing your own mind? Maybe it was, but you fell right asleep, so you didn't notice?

Is it possible your quirk hadn't actually affected you at all...? That you only changed your own mind by coming to a new realization? Should you try to change your mind again to find out?

"Ren? There's that awkward silence again, ribbit. You'll only hurt my feelings a little bit if you tell me you don't like it, ribbit."

You assure her it's not that, definitely not that! It's the best dinner you've had since you-don't-know-when. It's just... How does she feel about having you as a boyfriend?

"How do I feel about it, ribbit?" Tsu's eyebrows lower as she seems to give the question a lot of concentration. "It... doesn't feel bad or good. It feels... right, though. Ribbit."

That answer shot you straight in the gut once again. Right was the exact opposite of it! Still, you nod, taking another crunchy bite of your meal. After swallowing, you decide to get directly to your main question. How would she feel about hugging you? Kissing you?

Tsu stares into your eyes with her own dark, unreadable ones, her finger still on her lower lip. She blinks. "How would you feel about hugging me? Kissing me, ribbit?" When you don't answer immediately, she continues. "I think that's a little fast for our relationship, but I'm probably a little old-fashioned, ribbit."

Ha ha ha. You can't argue that. It's more than a little fast for your relationship! What hero in history has ever started making out with a citizen she knows nothing about after hanging out with him a grand total of two or three hours?! Overall... it's too weird for you. It's just too weird.

You're of two warring minds right now. One is telling you you've grandly fucked up. The right thing to do is to use Dominant Will to make Tsu forget all of this ever happened. When it came to ways to start a relationship, there was the good, the bad, and the ugly. This was the ugly. You need to scrap it and start over. The other is telling you the fucked-up thing to do would be to cut it off so early. You've barely even gotten a taste of it so far! So what if it's weird now? You think Tsu is cute, don't you? You do! What guy wouldn't want a girlfriend like her? So give it some time!

"You didn't answer me. So you're not interested in that after all, huh? Ribbit?"

Dammit! You can tell you pissed her off a little bit. That was the part you forgot... Having a girlfriend was always going to be some work, work you happen to have no experience in. Having a girlfriend that was created out of thin air was an entirely different challenge. Maybe... this isn't what you wanted after all?

If it is, you can always come back to it... But for now, maybe you want to try something else? Acting on that thought, you tell Tsu you'd be happy just to hold her head again.

"So you do see it as a romantic thing. I was wondering, ribbit. I don't mind, though." Tsu shuts her eyes and tilts her head up, presenting it for your hand.

... Even getting to your feet to cross the table to her makes you start to sweat. You're so low on energy... But, you do what needs to be done. You give her that long, loving pat on the head she's ready for, and then you work on the changes.

You aren't my girlfriend. You won't remember anything about what you or I did after I made you my girlfriend. You'll remember that we've had an uneventful dinner.

Then, you give her one more command... One that will let you try out something different when you and Tsu meet next time. Then, you take your hand away. Then, you cough. Loudly. You turn your head away, and you're glad you did, because blood comes out. Wiping the corner of your mouth, you use the last of your energy collapsing in your uncomfortable budget seat.

Tsu opens her eyes very slowly. Her ordinarily curious and intelligent eyes look cloudy for just a moment... Then, disoriented, her eyes glance from side to side, then forward. They lock onto your half-eaten meal. "You didn't like it, huh? You'll only kind of hurt my feelings if you're honest, ribbit."

You tell her, again, how great it is, and you down the rest of your soda trying to make yourself able to talk again. You take a big pause to regain your energy... Then, you ask her when you'll see her again.

"Is it fine if I stop by again tomorrow, same time? Ribbit? I ought to be on patrol most of tomorrow. I'll really need that Helping Hand of yours then, Ribbit. Oh, I don't need dinner again, though. I don't wanna impose, ribbit."

You tell her not to worry about it... Then, you tell her you're exhausted. From, uh... unpacking. You tell her you feel like you're dying, and give it a little laugh because you want her to think that's a joke. You tell her thanks again, though. For everything.

"Don't mention it, ribbit. I'll be counting on you too, Ren. I ought to get home. Stay safe! Don't forget to lock up, ribbit!" Tsu's tongue shoots out and grabs the rest of her food, shoveling it all into her wide mouth and cleaning her plate in one swift motion. Ah... So she was just eating at your pace for your sake? Or maybe she preferred to take her time, but had the ability to rush if she wanted? There's a lot you still don't know about her, but you're looking forward to learning, now that you've restored your relationship to something more normal and stable. Definitely.

Oh, right. Before Tsu leaves, you remind her to wear an appropriate outfit for what she'll be doing when she comes over tomorrow.

The hero looks confused for a moment... She adopts her contemplative thinking posture once more, still chewing and swallowing bits of her food... Then, comprehension dawns on her and she nods. "Ribbit. I don't know how great that's going to be for relaxing after a day of hero work, but..." She trails off, failing to find good reasoning because there really is no good reasoning for her to be doing what Dominant Will just ensured she'll be doing the next day.

You shrug, as if to say "That's life, huh?"

She gives a nod, then heads for the door. "You ought to get a girlfriend, Ren. Otherwise, you're gonna have to learn to take care of yourself, ribbit."

You manage to **** a laugh. You tell her you aren't worried about that... Then, she disappears through the doorway, hopping up on your railing and darting off again with frog-like leaps, whipping the door shut with her tongue. Apparently, she doesn't just move that way when she has lives to save: it must actually be the more comfortable way for her to get around quick when she's alone. At least when she's in her hero outfit, that is... You couldn't imagine her doing that in a skirt.

Spoke too soon! Just like that, though, you're imagining a lot of things she could do in and out of a skirt, surprised by how horny you feel. You realize with a strange, sudden clarity how you seem to transform between an awkward, fumbling romantic when you're with her and a shameless pervert when you aren't. You really need to find a way to bring peace to those warring factions of your own mind. You really need to...

... Collapse face-first in the remains of your dinner. Your last thought is that Tsu didn't lock the door... Then, you're passed out in your clothes with your lights still on.